Beauty and Babbling.

Fab & Drab products of 2014! (Part I)

So it’s heading towards the end of the year and I thought I’d do a round up of my favourite products and naming and shaming the ones that disappointed or didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I think I’ll start with the ‘worst’ products first and end on a high note.

The DUDS

1. Lancome DreamTone Serum, 40ml £69.00

Oh. My. God. Where do I begin with this one? I really really wanted to love this and even more so, I really wanted this to work (cos it was so goddamn expensive). I mean I wasn’t expecting miracles but some kind of improvement would of been nice. The serum claims to be the ‘ultimate dark spot corrector’/’beautiful skin tone creator’ and it’s available in 3 tones to match your skin colour and to target your specific skin problems. I have number 2, which is for medium skin tones, the serum itself is a peachy colour with a subtle fragrance, it’s not offensive though I feel it was added just to make the product feel more ‘high end’.

I’ve used the whole bottle and it lasted just over 3 months and I used it once daily. The positives I can think of is, that it did absorb into the skin really quickly so it didn’t add time to my make up routine and it does make your skin feel soft however the cons outweigh the pros in this case and I will not be repurchasing because it didn’t lighten any dark spots nor improve any skin tone irregularities for me.

One last critique, if I’m being particularly picky is that for an high end product the bottle feels a little bit cheap and it really annoys me when you can’t see how much product is left in the bottle and even worst when you can’t remove the pump but I suppose the twisty nozzle thing is quite fun? (Totally grasping at straws here.)

2. Beauty Blender Make Up Sponge dupe, £2.45

After watching a gazillion youtube videos raving about the beauty blender I decided to dip my toes into the spongey lake and see what the hype was all about. I followed all the instructions advised on how to use it by soaking it and squeezing out the excess water before using it to blend out my foundation. Right so when it came to blending it was tricky because the shape of the sponge was angular, yes, ANGULAR. So basically, the bottom of the teardrop which I assumed from the photo was smooth and round like a bum, is actually cut off clean and there is a flat surface down there like the size of a 5p coin. I guess you get what you pay for cos I did get it off eBay for cheap. I know I could of used the side of the sponge to blend out but the way i had to hold it didn’t feel natural. Our friendship was doomed from the start, we just weren’t vibing.

I didn’t want to invest in the real Beauty Blender because of this horror story, also cos it’s overpriced for a sponge (£16) and I have common sense. Being stingy in this case has actually worked out for me and you’ll find out why in my next post!

3. Make Up Revolution Concealer Palette, £6

The palette is not a complete dud but it’s on the list because I thought I would get more use out of it than I have. It does crease like a bitch if you trying to conceal your dark circles. It will sit in every line you have going under there and it’s terrifying. Not even powder can save it. I had originally bought it for contouring purposes but the darker colours aren’t dark enough unfortunately and at the time of purchase they only had two palettes out, light and light – medium. The concealer formula is quite thin but creamy it definitely needs to be set to prevent it from sliding around on your face. Hot.

The packaging is chic-ish looking for a budget brand and it has a big mirror inside but cos it’s so large it’s not super handbag friendly but it has potential to used as a weapon I guess.

The MEHS

4. Lush Volcano Foot Mask, £6.50

I think because I read a few reviews about this saying how great it was and how super soft it made their feet I was a little disappointed with the outcome. I love Lush and I love that fact that all the ingredients in their products are as natural or organic as possible and I like their brand ethos. Somehow the foot mask turned out a little ‘meh’, my feet were slightly polished and did feel softer but not dramatically different though I did enjoy the tingly sensations and the ritual of wrapping my feet up with cling film, just chilling and letting it do it’s thing. It’s a nice little treat and if you want a lil pampering this makes you feel all ‘spa day’.

5. Origins GinZing Eye Cream, £23

I’m ever skeptical about eye creams, more so than dark spot correctors because I’m not sure there can be much done about dark circles but being the savvy shopper that I am I always (most of the time) read reviews on products before I buy them, especially if they are pricey. So again, I read an overall good review of the stuff but the reviewer had bought it to get rid of puffiness which isn’t a problem for me but since he gave an all round raving review I decided to give it a go.

After the first couple of weeks I started using it I was definitely thinking to myself “Yes, this is working!” but now reflecting back I found that it was just a bit of a placebo effect unfortunately my dark circles are no better or worse than when I finished using the cream. When I did apply it under the eye it did moisturise the area and make it feel a lil perkier but that’s pretty much it. I’m mourning my hard earned boots points.

Hello there

I'm Laura, 23, living in Nottingham and I'm something of a make up magpie and skincare hoarder. Owning Your Okayness is a blog based around those obsessions as well as ad hoc musings of my personal life. I aim to entertain and inform with my writing. If you want to find out more about me you can follow me on